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  Praise for

  Too Rich for a Bride

  “A beautiful tale. Intriguing. Inviting. Inspiring.”

  —CINDY WOODSMALL, author of The Hope of Refuge and When the Soul Mends

  “This is a story that lets us stand on the cusp of a great societal shift—the entrance of women into the business world.… Cripple Creek’s cast of colorful characters plays host to a new romance, as well as pulling back the curtain on a local family tragedy. This sequel revisits the characters we’ve already come to love and creates a complementary depth to an entertaining new tale.”

  —ALLISON PITTMAN, author of Stealing Home and The Bridegrooms

  “Ida believes her future is secure in a man’s world. After all, she has drive and determination. But what happens when she meets a man who makes a withdrawal from her heart? Author Mona Hodgson makes discovering the answer to this question a rich, rewarding adventure.”

  —DIANN MILLS, author of A Woman Called Sage and the Texas Legacy Series

  “Ah! A book I’ve been waiting for. Too Rich for a Bride by Mona Hodgson will charm your socks off. All the ups and downs of a romance with a delightful dose of history and characters who will sneak into your heart and take up residence. More, more, we want more.”

  —LAURAINE SNELLING author of No Distance Too Far and the Daughters of Blessing series

  “Mona Hodgson has done it again. With deft storytelling and characters that leap off the page, Too Rich for a Bride is a book I won’t soon forget.”

  —KATHLEEN Y’BARBO author of The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper and Anna Finch and the Hired Gun

  TOO RICH FOR A BRIDE

  PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS

  12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200

  Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

  All Scripture quotations or paraphrases are taken from the King James Version.

  The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2010 by Mona Hodgson

  Published in association with the literary agency of Janet Kobobel Grant, Books & Such, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

  WATERBROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hodgson, Mona Gansberg, 1954–

  Too rich for a bride : a novel / Mona Hodgson. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-45893-3 1. Businesswomen—Fiction. 2. Sisters—Fiction. 3. Cripple Creek (Colo.)—Fiction. 4. Colorado—History—1876-1950—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3608.O474T66 2011

  813’.6—dc22

  2011005869

  v3.1

  For two sisters …

  my daughters: Amy Eardensohn and Sara Hodgson

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Readers Guide

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  But thanks be to God, which

  giveth us the victory through

  our Lord Jesus Christ.

  1 CORINTHIANS 15:57

  ONE

  Portland, Maine

  18 September 1896

  da Sinclair didn’t know where her ambition would take her, only that she possessed a liberal measure of it. That was why the Merton School of Business was the perfect place for her. And why she sat in the front row of the classroom. She didn’t want to miss any bit of information or instruction that could move her closer to success.

  Gazing from the calculations on the blackboard to the guest lecturer’s dark eyes, offset by traces of silver at his hairline, Ida waited for Mr. Bradley Ditmer to finish his point about customer relations and then raised her hand.

  “Miss Sinclair, you have another question?”

  Ida moistened her lips. “Yes. I’d like to know how one goes about securing financing to launch a busi—”

  A roar of deep laughter startled her and she turned to glare at the source—a gangly, beak-nosed young man in the row beside hers.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about financing, missy,” he said. “Learn how to make a good pot of coffee and keep a file cabinet organized, and maybe I’ll hire you to work in my company.”

  More laughter swept across the room until the professor made his way to the mouthy student’s desk. Mr. Ditmer’s footsteps stilled all other noise.

  “Mr. Burn—”

  “Burkett.”

  “You are a child to indulge in such hubris. Kindly keep it to yourself.”

  Ida felt the same burn she’d become accustomed to since her first day in class. Her fellow students didn’t approve of her plans and aspirations. Even the women. But she also felt somewhat vindicated by Mr. Ditmer’s gallant stand against such boorish rantings.

  The professor cleared his throat. “To answer your question, Miss Sinclair, bankers, private investors, and those on the stock exchange could provide necessary funding for a business.” He sauntered back to the front of the room then turned to face her. “However, no investor is wont to throw away money on frivolous pursuits. Each business proposal is weighed individually by its likelihood of success.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Ida sealed her mouth shut against the numerous questions his answer raised.

  She was still recording her thoughts and ideas in her notebook when Mr. Ditmer dismissed the class, making her the last to head for the door.

  “Miss Sinclair?” Mr. Ditmer’s clear tone resonated off the empty desks in the room.

  Ida stilled her steps a few feet from the classroom door and turned to face her instructor. A pleasant view, to be sure. The man was no Teddy Roosevelt, but he exuded the same commanding presence and compelling confidence.

  She glanced down at
the reticule she held in one hand and her satchel in the other, then looked back at the first row of desks. She saw no evidence to indicate she’d left anything behind. So what did Mr. Ditmer want?

  He walked toward her, then stopped at a respectable distance. “I wondered if I might have a word with you.”

  Ida nodded while her mind raced after an explanation. She had asked a lot of questions during class this morning, but she didn’t detect any irritation in his gaze. “Is there a problem, Mr. Ditmer? I didn’t intend any disruption, sir. It’s just that I find the topic of business ethics intriguing.”

  “Your questions posed no disruption, Miss Sinclair. On the contrary.” A smile revealed perfectly straight teeth. “I, for one, appreciate your participation and find your interest and questions thought-provoking. Even rewarding. Discussions on business ethics can be—as a rule—a mite drab.”

  If her instructor wasn’t set on scolding her for an overactive curiosity, then what did he want to talk to her about?

  “Miss Sinclair, you have your sights set on success in what has been dubbed a man’s world.” It wasn’t a question.

  Although he didn’t seem the least bit intimidated or put off by her unconventional aspirations, she squared her shoulders anyway. She was prepared to defend her determination to him or anyone else who might question her entrance into the world of business. “Yes, sir, I do.”

  “Then I’d like to discuss some possibilities with you.”

  Ida shifted her weight to one foot, hoping the act would slow her pulse and make her appear more relaxed than she felt. Bradley Ditmer owned a large clothiers chain in New York City. She’d love nothing more than to discuss business with him, especially if their conversation held any promise for her future livelihood.

  She glanced up at the clock atop a bookcase. Thirty-five minutes after twelve. Only twenty-five minutes remained of her lunch break between classes and her work in the school’s main office.

  Unfortunately, she had no wiggle room in her schedule today, and such a discussion could require every minute of her remaining break, and then some. Her employer was out of the office until Monday, and he counted on her to see to the mound of work he’d left for her, including interviewing two prospective students. Still, this was the Mr. Bradley Ditmer, one of New York’s foremost commerce tycoons standing before her, interested in her business ambitions.

  “You want to talk with me about my future in the world of business?” she asked.

  “If you’re amenable to it.”

  “Yes.” She’d allowed herself to sound far too anxious. “I’d be most interested in hearing what you have to say.”

  “I have a luncheon appointment. And I know you have a job to attend to.” He pushed a silver-tinted strand of hair from his temple much the way her father did, only Father’s was more salt and pepper than gray. “We could chat after you’re finished with your afternoon’s work.”

  A meeting after work would make for a long day, and perhaps mean she wouldn’t get home until after dark, but Mr. Ditmer was very knowledgeable and influential. Father would want her to pursue her dream, and knowing she had a bright and secure future ahead of her would be a comfort to him.

  “We can discuss job possibilities over coffee.” His eyebrows arched into a question mark.

  “Coffee sounds lovely.”

  “Very well, then. I’ll brew a fresh pot in my office at five o’clock.”

  In his office. Ida fussed with the wrap draped over her shoulders. Of course he’d want to meet with her in his office. It made sense that he’d keep his list of contacts there—all of his business resources. She brought her bags together in front of her. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in his office before. She’d delivered files and telephone messages to him there. The twinge of apprehension niggling at her stomach was senseless. She was behaving like a nervous schoolgirl, something a woman with her “sights set on success” couldn’t afford to do.

  Ida offered him a tight nod and took quick steps out the door, closing it behind her. She pulled her mother’s pendant watch from her reticule and glanced at its face. Only fifteen minutes left of her break, barely enough time to scoot down the hall to the washroom and then unlock the office door by one o’clock.

  At the end of four hours of filing, typing, and bookkeeping, Ida retrieved her belongings from under her desk and put on her wrap.

  Mr. Ditmer, as the guest lecturer for the final month of school, had an office at the end of the empty corridor. Ida’s low-top shoes drummed against the parquet flooring as she made her way around the corner and past three quiet classrooms. She drew in a fortifying breath as she approached his office.

  Mr. Bradley Ditmer had taken notice of her business acuity. Her father and her sisters Kat and Nell expected her to move to Cripple Creek, Colorado, next month following her graduation, but surely they’d understand that she couldn’t turn down a lucrative job in New York City. That’d be plain foolish.

  After admiring the shine on the brass nameplate—Bradley P. Ditmer III, Industrialist and Adjunct Professor—she knocked lightly on his office door.

  “Do come in.”

  She did, and was met with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Her instructor stood behind an oak desk, his suit jacket draped over a brass hook behind him. He motioned for her to be seated in one of the two high-back leather chairs that faced his tidy desk.

  Ida left her bags by the door and sat down, watching him pour the steaming liquid into two cups at a buffet in the corner. She’d expected him to ask her to make the coffee, or at least to pour it. Instead, he was serving her. And given his calm response to her many and varied questions in class, he seemed perfectly capable of picturing a woman’s role in business as something more than a kitchen aide and secretary.

  “Cream? Sugar?” He returned the pot to the hot plate on the buffet and turned toward her.

  “No, thank you.”

  He crossed the room and handed her a full cup on a saucer. “One cup of coffee, undiluted.” He smiled. “I should’ve guessed you liked your coffee full-strength. You seem to be one who appreciates the straightforward and direct approach.”

  “Thank you.” Ida set the saucer on the desk and loosened her wrap so that it hung at her sides.

  “My apologies. This office is on the warm side. Why don’t I take your wrap and hang it with my coat?”

  She lifted the shawl over her head, mindful of the cup in front of her, and handed it to him.

  While he draped her wrap over a hook and then returned to the buffet, Ida lifted her cup from the desk and let the steam moisten her face. She carefully took a sip, enjoying the coffee’s rich warmth on her throat.

  “It’s a Brazilian blend.” Mr. Ditmer carried his cup over and sat down, but not behind his desk as she’d expected. Instead he perched on the chair beside her and took a big gulp of hot coffee.

  She enjoyed another swallow of hers while wondering what direction this conversation would take, and how.

  “So, what did you do this afternoon?” he asked.

  She set her cup on the desk. “I interviewed a prospective student. A second didn’t show up. Most of my work involved typing and filing.”

  An eyebrow raised, he set his cup back into the saucer. “Sounds like humdrum busywork to me. A mite mundane, I’d say, for someone with your sharp intellect.”

  His candor surprised her, and a blush burned her cheeks. “It’s surely not what I aspire to do.” She paused, uncomfortable in the silence. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “And what about you? You have a successful retail chain in New York City, and yet you’re here in Portland, teaching.”

  “Everyone needs a change now and again.” He glanced around the office. “Besides, I’m careful to employ people I can trust to run the operations in my absence. It’s good for them to have the opportunity.”

  Sitting a little straighter, Ida forced herself not to squirm. Might she soon be one of his trusted employees?

  “During our
class discussions the past two weeks,” Mr. Ditmer said, “you’ve mentioned your father living and working in France.”

  “As you said in your lecture earlier this week, sometimes it’s best not to set your roots too deep because it’s necessary to go where the opportunities are. That was the case with my father. His position overseeing locomotive engineers here in Portland was eliminated, but he was given the opportunity to instruct and oversee European design engineers in Paris.” Growing weary of the sound of her own voice, Ida lifted the cup to her mouth. She was doing all the talking. “I doubt you called this meeting to discuss my father.”

  “No, but …” He leaned forward, his hands on his knees. “Do you intend to join him in France?”

  “I have no plans to go to Paris, sir.” New York, on the other hand …

  “Sir is a bit stuffy for business colleagues. And, speaking of stuffy—” He slid his vest off and laid it over the back of his chair. “Please call me Bradley. May I call you Ida?”

  “That’d be fine.” Of course it was fine. Even though he was her instructor and would be for another two weeks, he did seem more of an associate right now.

  “And what about Portland, Ida? Are you set on remaining here?”

  “Not at all. I don’t expect to, or want to.” She kept the Cripple Creek family plan to herself.

  “That’s good news.” He peered at her from over the brim of his cup. His gaze held a cordiality she hadn’t noticed earlier. “You’ll be finished with your course work in just a few weeks. I don’t know how you’d feel about moving to New York City—”

  “I like New York City.” Never mind that she had never been there.

  He smiled and set his cup in its saucer on the desk. “Good. I might have an opening in my buying division.”

  He was offering her a job. Ida opened her mouth to say the buying division sounded like an interesting prospect, but quickly closed her mouth when her instructor took the cup and saucer from her hand. He set them on the desk, a little too close to his, dinging the sides of the plates.